Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-24
HUsHING THE TEMPEST.
Dr. Talnage's Sermon at the Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


Injured. by Observation-Disclosures of th'
Late Rev. John Livingston.
BROOKLYN, June 5.-The Row. T. d.
Witt Talmnge, ID. d., preached in thu
Tabernacle this morning sermon entitled
~The Tempest" Service began with the
exposition of appropriate passages Of
Scripture. after which the great congrega.
zion sang the hymn
-Heaveu is my fGtlcrlnud,
Heaven is my home
The text was Mark iv. 5000, describing
Christ sitting tho tempest. He said:
Tiberias, Galilec, Gennesaret - three
names for the same lake. No other gem
ever had SO beautiful q setting. II lay in
4 scene OF great luXurance: the surround
ing hills high, terraced, sloped, groved, SC
many hanging gardens of beauty, the
waters runbling down between rocks OF
gray and red limestone, flashing from the
hills and bounding into the sea. On the
shore were castles, armed towers, Roman
baths. everything attractive and beautiful;
ali styles OF vegetation in shorter space
than III almost any other space in all the
world, from the palm tree of the forest to
the trees cf rigorous climate.
1t seemed rs if the Lord had launched
one wave of beauty Oh all the scene, and
1t hung and swung from rock and hill and
,oleander. Roman gcnicmen in pleasure
boats sailing the lake, and countrymen i'll
fish smacks coming down to drop their
vets, pass each other with nod and shout
and laughter, or swinging idly at their
.7loorings. Oh, what wonderful, what a
beautiful lake!
Il seems as if we shall have quiet
might. Not a leaf winkcd in the air; not Il
simple disturbed the face of Gennesaret;
hut there seems to be little excitement up
the beach, and We hasten to see what it is,
and We find it an embarkation.
From the western shore tiotilla push
aug out, not squadron, or deadly anna
sno121, nor clipper with valuable mer
cha:l'lise, nor pirate vessels ready to
destroy everything they could seize, but a
f1oiila bearing messengers of life and
light and peace. Christ is i'll the front of
tie boat. His disciples are in a smaller
boat Jesus. weary with much speaking to
barge multitudes. is put into somnolence
10y 1le rocking of the waves. IT there was
any motion at all the ship was easily
siglted; il the wind passed from starboard
10 ialiJoard, or from larboard to stnrboard,
the boat would rock, and by the gentleness
of the motion putting the Master asleep.
And they eNtemporiZed pillow made out
CT q fisherman coat. | think no sooner is
Christ PROSTATE, and His head touched tho
pillow, than He is sound asleep. Tie
aree2es of the lake run their fingers through
che locks of the worn sleeper, and the boat
rises and falls like sleeping child on the
hosonl of Il sleeping mother.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful
might. Run up all the sails. ply all the
oars, and let the large boat and the small
aoat glide over gentle Gennesaret. But
the sailors say there is going to be chan &c
of weather. And oven the passengers can
hear the moaning of the storm. as it comes
on with great stride, and all the terrors of
hurricane and darkness. The large boat
trenlbles like a deer at bay among the
'claagor of the hounds: great patches of
foam are flung into the air; the sails of the
ike pistols; the smaller boats, like petrels,
s,oise on the cliff of the waves and then
plunge.
Overheard go cargo, tackling, and masts,
and the drenched disciples rush into the
bark part OF the boat, and lay hold of
'Cnrisf. and say unto Him: master, carest
sEhou not that We persh?" That great per-
sonage lifts His head from the pillow Of
sise is herman's coat, walks to the front Of
the vessel, and looks out into tho sto-E.
All around Him arc the smaller boats.
driven in the tempest. and through it comes
The cry of drowning men. BY the flash of
the lightning 1 see the calm Erow of Christ
Els the spray dropped from His beard. He
s,as one word for the sky and another for
the waves. Looking upward He cries:
Peace" Looking downward He says:
":Be STILL"
The waves fall flat on their faces, the
foam melts, the extinguished stars re]ight
SeheiI torches. The tempest falls dead, and
q G~ssist stands with His feet on the neck of
file gs1e-nl. And while the sailors are bail
ing osst the boats and while they are trying
70 un;angle the cordago The disciples stand
Ill alnazement, now looking into the calm
sea, then into the calm sky, then into the
calm Sayiours countenance, and they cry
out: "Nhat manner Of man is this. that
even the winds and the sea obey him."
Lie su3Je,s i'll The iilst place impressea
-1ne with the fact chat il is very important
80 have Christ with the ship; for all those
boats would have gone TO the bottom OF
diennesaret if Christ had no. been present.
Oh, what q lesson for you and for me to
learn! We must always have Christ in the
ship. Whatever voyage We undertake, into
whatever enterprise we start, let US always
have Christ in the ship. Many of you in
these DAYS of revived commerce are start
ing out in new financial enterprises. bid
you good cheer. Do all you can do. Do
It en as high a plano as possible. You
have no right to be stoker in the ship if
you can be an admiral of the navy. You
have no right to be colonel of regiment
II you can command brigade; you have
aao right to be engineer of boat on river
banks Or near the coast if you can take the
ocean steamer from New York to Liver
pool Ali you can do with utmost tension
of body, mind, and soul you are bound to
do; but oh! have Christ in every enter
prise, Christ in every voyage, Christ in
every ship.
There are men here who ask God to
help them at the start of great enterprises.
Ee has been with them in the past; no
trouble can overthrow them; the storms
might come down from the top of Mount
Hermon and lash Gennesaret into foam
and into agony, but it could not hurt them.
But here is another man who starts out
IN worldly enterprise and he depends upon
the uncertainties Of this life. He has no
God to help him. After while the storm
comes and losses off the masts of the ship;
fe puts out his lifeboat and the long boat;
ahe Sheriff and tho auctioneer try to help
him of; fhey can't help him off; he must
60 down: no Christ in the ship. Here are
young men just starting out in life. Your
Rife will be made up of sunshine and
shadow. There may be in it arctic blasts
or tropical tornadoes; know not what is
before you. but know if you have Christ
with Won all shall be well.